This invention relates to provision of active labels comprising implantable or attachable identification means on items or commodities; to remote, non-contact and/or non-optical reading of and writing to the identification means itself and in particular to a terminal for interrogating transponders of an active radio-frequency identification systems for items.
In many processes and systems, a group of distinct items will require to be separately identified. Examples of groups of items include the shopping in a supermarket trolley, luggage at an airport, files in an office, or animals on a farm, the initial application of this invention. Existing means for identification include simple recognition, written or printed labels, colour coding, bar coding, and the like.
There is an increasing need to provide an account of the history of an item, such as a food animal, from birth right through to the point of retail sale in order to satisfy requirements such as those relating to welfare considerations, or health concerns such as antibiotic residues. One way to provide the last might be by recording all the significant events, such as vaccinations or veterinary treatments, that have happened to that, animal through its lifetime. Furthermore, herd improvement strategies can be based on detailed freezing-works reports correlated with sire identification. While these events could be recorded externally such as on a paper record, there are a number of administrative advantages in having the individual record actually carried with the item in question. (For example the immediate problem to be solved might be to ascertain the previously recorded weight of a heifer, when in a cattleyard miles from the nearest telephone and computer). In the case of an animal, this could be in the form of a plastic tag such as an eartag having a number of positions capable of being clipped (like a bus ticket) whenever something is to be recorded, but it is clear that disadvantages of this would include (a) the limited number of separate records, and (b) the propensity of eartags to be lost.
The use of a central database relating prior-art xe2x80x9celectronic eartagsxe2x80x9d which are simply provided with a unique, electronically readable number at the time of manufacture and lack an ability to receive and hold information during their life has been proposed. The management of such records provides an administrative problem, given that events impinging on an animal from time to time, or at any time, would have to be transferred accurately into a central database. In contrast, being able to characterise a farm animal immediately and unambiguously would be advantageous. It would be useful if any proposed labelling system could work in the absence of a computer.
In order to assist in the storage of reliable information, it would seem desirable to limit access by various would-be users as far as possible, so that for example a veterinarian could read and write memory elements (fields in a record) relating to health status and medical/treatment matters, a stock agent could read only ownership and health status matters. An owner might have wider powers although his staff might only be permitted to read from specific fields. Furthermore, physically (as opposed to by-machine) reading the record as carried on the item (animal suitcase, package or the like) may require undue mental and physical agility. Thus the problem to be solved might be described as xe2x80x9cthe need to provide a verifiable, immediately readable, rewritable data storage device capable of being placed relatively permanently on a moveable object. Furthermore, an ability to control who can read or write to any specific record seems to be desirablexe2x80x9d.
Previous attempts to solve the problem in general (meaning the use of RF-ID tags on animals) include a number of industry-initiated electronic ear tag ventures involving Philips, Motorola, Texas Instruments, and others. None have been notably successful apart from the passive microchips widely used on pet animals.
Patent documents which relate closely to the present invention include:
U.S. Pat. No 5,499,626 to Willham et al (filed June 1994) describes an implantable programmable electronic data tag, and a scheme for using an individual mammal as its own mobile record capable of receiving changeable information. The document is useful for providing a guide for a livestock record system. A central database is assumed for breed performance averaging (bioeconomic values); details of which are described. The data tag is assumed to be battery-driven.
Avid Corp: U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,409 inventor Beigel M, Avid Corp: U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,001 Beigel M, and Avid Corp: U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,017 Beigel M all relate to a terminal, and an RFID tag having 3 kinds of memory in the tag namely R/O (ROM), R/W (EEPROM), and temporary (RAM) memories (the last for use with tag sensors). A single level of security is provided for.
Magtronic: U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,415 inventor Linseth describes an RFID tag for the first (rumen) and second (reticulum) stomachs of cattle, combined with a heavy magnet also useful for the minimisation of xe2x80x9chardware diseasexe2x80x9d and a plurality of read or write memories.
Venda Corporation (WO97/22092) and other specifications commencing with Watanabe (U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,136) describe a physical device providing a form of security for confidential data upon a smart card or the like, in which simultaneous access of the smart card together with a second smart card containing enabling information such as a password is required. Hardware capable of reading two smart cards at the same time is used.
xe2x80x9cActivexe2x80x9d relates to the ability of information carried within an identification meansxe2x80x94as will be described hereinxe2x80x94to be altered from time to time (implying a rewritable memory capability), or, it relates to the capability of the identification means to respond to an interrogation with a selected stream of information. (A passive tag is one carrying unalterable information only: whether directly viewable or in electronically readable form).
xe2x80x9cAnimalxe2x80x9d includes living items having an intrinsic importance; including mammals (not excluding humans), birds, reptiles, and fish, and includes plants, trees, or portions thereof.
xe2x80x9cTerminalxe2x80x9d refers to a device capable of supplying wireless energy to a transponder, and capable of reading data from, or writing data to, a transponder so powered.
xe2x80x9cTransponderxe2x80x9d refers to a device which responds to an interrogation by returning information, such as identification. In the instances generally under consideration, it also refers to RFD transponders powered by collection and conversion of at least some of the energy within the interrogation signal.
xe2x80x9cRF-IDxe2x80x9d refers to radio-frequency powered identification label units, functioning as transponders.
It is an object of this invention to provide improvements in apparatus and methods for a radio-frequency identification tagging system, or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
In a first broad aspect, the invention provides a terminal for an active labelling system employing wireless-powered identification tags, including: data processing means, program control means, data storage means and optionally a display and user control means; the terminal having wireless communication means capable of reading from and of writing to a wireless-powered identification tag; the tag including tag data storage means capable of storing more than one field of data within a record, wherein the terminal is capable of acquiring data comprising a code sequence from an unprotected area of data storage within a first or xe2x80x9ckeyxe2x80x9d type of wireless-powered identification tag, and if at least a part of the code sequence is recognised by the terminal as belonging to a set of predetermined security key sequences, of then adopting a security rank selected in accordance with the key sequence from a range of predetermined security ranks; the adopted security rank empowering the terminal to become capable of effective access to a predetermined set of one or more protected fields of data within a second or xe2x80x9ctagxe2x80x9d type of wireless-powered identification tag, so that the same terminal may serve different users at different times under different security ranks.
Preferably at least one security rank permits only read access to a predetermined set of one or more protected fields of data within the second type of wireless-powered identification tag.
Optionally, at least one security rank permits only write access to a predetermined set of one or more protected fields of data within the second type of wireless-powered identification tag.
More preferably, higher security rankings allow access to a greater number of fields.
In a related aspect, at least one security rank permits write and read access to a predetermined set of one or more protected fields of data within the second type of wireless-powered identification tag.
In a second related aspect, the invention provides axe2x80x9ckeyxe2x80x9d for making a security rank available to a terminal as previously described in this section, wherein the key comprises a wireless-powered identification tag having tag data storage means capable of holding a fixed set of data including a predetermined security key sequence in a field always readable by the portable terminal, so that the security rank of the terminal may be altered at any time.
Preferably the key further holds a computed code sequence capable of uniquely identifying the key.
In a third related aspect, the invention provides that the terminal has been hard-wired or programmed so as to retain a security rank, once adopted, for a limited maximum period.
A preferred example period is eight hours.
In a second broad aspect the invention provides a terminal as previously described in this section, wherein the portable terminal is provided with means capable from time to time of encrypting the data to be deposited within the tag data storage means, and with means capable of decrypting previously encrypted data retrieved from the tag data storage means, so that at least some fields of data stored within the tag are relatively inaccessible to terminals lacking an effective decryption means.
Preferably the encryption means includes a process for placing the data within the tag data storage means in a non-predictable manner.
In a related aspect, the security rank in functional combination with instructions within the terminal provides that at least one field stored within the tag data storage means is capable of being written to only once, and is capable of being read from many times, so that the at least one field serves as unalterable memory, or write-once memory.
In a further related aspect the security rank in functional combination with instructions within the terminal provides that at least one field stored within the tag data storage means is capable of being written to many times, and is capable of being read from many times so that the at least one field serves as alterable memory, or write-many memory.
In a third broad aspect the invention provides a terminal as previously described in this section, wherein the terminal is further provided with interface means capable of facilitating the movement of data to or from at least one information-handling device according to an Applications Programming Interface (API) so that the terminal can send and/or receive data between the terminal and the device and thereby effectively interact with the device.
Preferably a set of instructions for making use of the Applications Programming Interface is published.
In a fourth broad aspect the invention provides a terminal as previously described in this section, wherein the terminal is provided with a protocol comprising a predetermined allocation of one or more fields of data, each field having a predetermined data type, a predetermined protection status in relation to a given security rank, and a predetermined alterability status, to be used in conjunction with a second or xe2x80x9ctagxe2x80x9d type of wireless-powered identification tag capable of being attached to one of a set of items: under which protocol the item is capable of serving as its own data carrier.
Preferably the protocol is developed for use with an animal.
More preferably the protocol provides for the storage of a record of information including one or more of the following fields:
identification of the wireless-powered identification tag itself,
identification of the animal,
the date of birth of the animal,
identification of the sire and/or the dam of the animal,
the birthplace of the animal
the original owner of the animal,
the current owner of the animal,
the health status of the animal,
any disease control measures imposed upon the animal,
any treatments delivered to the animal,
any withholding periods as a result of any treatments that are liable to result in unacceptable residues being present within the body of the animal during the withholding periods performance factors such as fertility, weight gains during known periods, wool growth, or stamina.
In a fifth broad aspect the invention provides a hand-held terminal.
Alternatively the terminal may be attached to a site adjacent to an expected route traversed by one or more items each capable of carrying a wireless identification tag.
In a sixth broad aspect this invention provides an active wireless identification system for an item, wherein at least one remotely readable and remotely writable attached identification means is applied to the item for an extended period and a transceiver means (or terminal) is employed, from time to time, to provide power to, read identification information from, and write to the identification means; the identification means being capable of (1) repeatedly taking in, (2) storing, for an extended period, and (3) repeatedly returning identification information so that each item may be identified over a distance to the transceiver by xe2x80x9creadingxe2x80x9d xe2x80x94in a machine-reading sensexe2x80x94some or all of the information held within the identification means, and in turn the transceiver is capable of translating the information into a form suitable for use by a human operator.
Preferably the identification information is held in the form of digital data laid out according to a predetermined format, and optionally the digital data is at least partially encrypted and/or compressed according to a predetermined storage algorithm.
Preferably, though by no means exclusively, the item is a farmed animal or the like, and the group comprises a herd or flock of similar animals.
In a related aspect this invention provides an active wireless identification-system for individual identification of a farm animal or parts thereof, wherein the identification means is capable of storing (1) unique identification data within a permanent memory, (2) storing further data within a permanent memory, and (3) storing yet further data within an over-writable memory.
In another related aspect this invention provides an active wireless identification system for individual identification of a farm animal or parts thereof, wherein the identification means is capable of withholding, and thereby inhibiting the reading of, at least a predetermined portion of the data held within any memory unless a recognized password has been transmitted to the identification means from the transceiver means as by a xe2x80x9ckeyxe2x80x9d as previously described in this section.
Preferably further information is capable of being inserted into the identification module from time to time by means of a transceiver so that the identification module may be used as an xe2x80x9con-board event logging meansxe2x80x9d and so that the significant events in the history of the item can be read out from time to time, in physical association with the item itself.
In a yet further broad aspect the invention provides apparatus for implanting an implantable identification means in a subcutaneous location (such as behind one ear of an animal).
Preferably verification means capable of showing that the implanted identification means is functioning after insertion is included.
Preferably means to download a record of implanted identification means to a data processor is provided.
Optionally, means to subsequently communicate with implanted identification means for the purpose of adding information or reading back information may be provided separately.
In an alternative aspect the item is an object to be transported from a source to at least one destination, and the group comprises an aggregation of objects sharing a common source.
Optional xe2x80x9csingle transportable object eventsxe2x80x9d include ownership, nature and/or class of contents, carrier identification, value of contents, transhipment records, Customs clearance, and delivery receipts.
Example single transportable objects include luggage, courier packs, wool packs, and letters.
Preferably the distinctive identification common to the group is allocated by an external supervisory agency.
Optionally the means for depositing the distinctive identification employs an encryption algorithm to securely confirm the distinctive identification. Preferably the algorithm is based on the xe2x80x9cpublic keyxe2x80x9d encryption algorithm.
Preferably a systematic allocation of information to be stored within the identification module employs a predetermined protocol so that an identity once established cannot be changed but a log of events may be overwritten.
Optionally at least some of the information is held in an encoded form and preferably this encoded form provides an increased density of information packing within the identification means.
Preferably the information stored within any one identification means follows the same layout as for any other, so that a wide-area standard exists and items arriving at a location from a plurality of other locations may be identified and characterised regardless, and so that a given terminal (reading device) is more widely usable.
Optionally at least some of the information may be stored externally with reference to a sufficiently unique identification carried within the identification means.
Optionally this externally stored information may be a copy of information stored within the identification means, or optionally additional information may be stored externally, such as repeated weight gains, or shipping information.
Preferably means are provided to return at least some of the information recovered from the identification module at the end of the life of an item bearing the identification module to the originator of the item, so that the originator is made aware of selected information, optionally including extra information.
Preferably in the case of an animal destined for a meat processing works the extra information includes information relating to carcass weight, meat quality, and the like.
In a further related aspect this invention provides a method for the copying or cloning of at least a portion of the information held within an identification means into an optionally replicated second type of identification means, so that any part of a farm animal may be identified as to its origins.
Preferably the second type of identification means is machine-readable, though optionally at least a part of the second type bears plain text capable of being read directly by a person.
Optionally the second type of identification means is retained as far at the point of retail sale of the part of the farm animal.
An example embodiment is an animal tag having means for attachment to an appropriate part of an animal, a surface capable of bearing indicia, and an optionally internal surface capable of supporting the identification means and aerial means.
Another example embodiment is a package tag having means for attachment to an appropriate part of an item, a surface capable of bearing indicia, and an optionally internal surface capable of supporting the identification means and aerial means.
A further example embodiment of the identification means comprises an implantable object, capable of being inserted into and remaining within an item to be identified; the object being provided with means configured in a manner capable of interaction with an electromagnetic field.
For one preferred implantable identification means suitable for use in livestock identification, the implantable object comprises a biologically inert coating extending over an active device including receiver means, internal power supply means, storage means, and transmitter means.
Optionally the biologically inert coating may include an ingredient capable of reducing any local infection resulting from the act of insertion of the identification means.
Optionally the biologically inert coating may include an ingredient capable of forming physical links with adjacent tissues so that the identification means becomes held in place.